(Council Bluffs) The Interstate 29/Interstate-480/West Broadway System Interchange project in Council Bluffs addressing traffic capacity needs is entering into Phase IV. District #4 Transportation Planner Scott Suhr says when the project started in 2011, 89,600 vehicles traveled this route per day.
Suhr says during peak hours, traffic would back up, creating secondary accidents.
The project includes five segments of Interstate, including the dual divided Interstates, considering segments two and three.
The $1.2 billion project that ramped up about six years ago is projected for completion in 2025.
Suhr says before starting this massive project, there was no access off Broadway to Interstate 29. When this phase of the project is complete, motorists will have access from Interstate 29 to Broadway and many other streets in Council Bluffs. The key to 35th Street goes away, adding access to 25th Street, Broadway, and 9th Avenue.
The project provides direct access to West Broadway from I-29 via one-way frontage roads, efficient, safe vehicle movements on Interstate 480 and Interstate 29, and reduces motorist lane changes.
The Council Bluffs Interstate System was originally constructed in the 1960s. Although routine maintenance projects were completed, significant changes had not been made since its original construction.
(Photo: courtesy of the Council Bluffs Interstate 29 Project website)